Tale of Caster
by MannaAngel
Summary: On the battlefield where the ever-consuming fire was melting the carpentry of dead bodies a woman asked her brother-in-arms to take a single soul, barely clinging to life.
1. Chapter 1

Hi there! The idea for this story started somewhere with an image of Diarmuid as a child and Cu taking care of him. And I never meant to take it so far, but I got some good support from my friends, saying I should continue writing.

I usually update the chapters on the weekend. I had to merge some of them, as they were short. I originally posted this on FB and dA with pictures included. You are very welcome to look them up.

( MannaAngel. deviantArt. com)

The story is situated in a parallel verse in the past. With my OC included.

The themes may be shocking and indicate abuse, so take care before you read.

It's not necessarily a happy story, but I hope you will enjoy it. Reviews are always appreciated.

* * *

 _The battles of the Caster-type warriors were always a struggle._  
 _And when the last Healer was injured beyond self-help, then the battle would soon be over._

So here we are, a few centuries back in an epic battle. Where different races would still fight in territorial wars.  
Some members though would switch sides or work in secret for another nation. Such a case was Manna. The young lady from the Catian Clan, specializing as a Magic Healer. The knights of the order that she had joined wore hoods, so her appearance could be well hidden. And furthermore it was outshined by the dazzling Hound of Chulainn, who would dash through the battlefield like a blue lightning.  
He was always on the frontlines, so was Manna. With her enhanced agility she would have no problems keeping up with the rush of the first wave, even to stop to heal a fellow warrior in between.

Yet this battle was nothing but an all-out slaughter. The sides evenly matched, the corpses soon covered the vast grounds, and the masses of warriors would cease their advance; till only he and she would stay standing, facing three dozens of enemy warriors who had begun to fight the remnants with fire.

Manna had picked up a child along the years of service...  
She would not take him to the battle, but the little one was quite clingy and had followed her, riding alongside another warrior on his horse. Tho when most of the warriors had fallen, the child stayed stranded upon the pool of corpses. Cu Chulainn had already been giving up. There was no sense in trying to win this lost battle. He would just struggle ahead to find a gate to escape. Manna had been falling behind, with pain in her chest, searching for any survivors. There was where she felt a lively presence and rushed to pull out the child.  
With the extra weight in her arms slowing her down she gave her best to catch up with Cu.

There was a bond of friendship between the two, and Cu was relieved to see her running after him, when he glanced behind his back for a moment.  
Tho the happiness was short-timed as the remaining enemy soldiers would not cease their frenzied pursuit until they had killed every last one standing.

Cu finally reached the top of the slope, breathing heavily. Below he could see a forest in a valley. Finally, a way out.

The pit-pat of footsteps had not caught up to him, he noticed.  
His hearing was numbed to the long exposure to cries of war and clashing of metal.  
He turned again only to see his comrade getting her chest holed out by a swordsman and a halberd user. Her choked cries were almost unheard, but she had finished off the enemies with lightning shock from her now exposed cat tail.

She coughed up blood, eyes murky, she touched her away across the ground to the unconscious child she had dropped before. She would walk on, feet staggering, her torso glowing irregularly under her robe. She was far to exhausted to heal herself. Also her mind was in disarray.

When she looked up, breathing in rasps, choking on her own blood, she saw Cu had approached her. How unusual for him to go back in his tracks, she thought. A moment of intense dizziness came over her and she fell to her knees. Cu stopped like suddenly turning to stone. She wouldn't make it, he realized. He would be the only one.

She coughed, then screamed, shocking the blue warrior "Cu! Please! Take him and run!" she held out the child in her shivering arms.

The child must still be alive, Cu reasoned, tho it's body was limp.

He took the child from her arms.  
"What about you?" Cu asked and put a hand on her shoulder. He could not see her eyes, as the large hood was covering half of her face. But he could see blood flowing from her mouth and a gashing hole in her chest and stomach, her insides ready to spill on the ground.  
She covered her front with her cape, trembling.  
"T-Thank you..." she somehow smiled, already feeling delirious. "I won't make it..."

For a moment...Cu saw her arms finally slide down to the ground, her insides between her knees on the ground, until her body gave in completely and slowly laid itself upon the ground.

With a tortured mind he stood up, looking at the child with uncertainty. The little one's body was definitely still warm and faintly breathing.  
Wasting more time was no option.  
He turned on his heels swiftly and ran...ran...ran.


	2. Chapter 2

_One can change what is outside, but cannot so easily fix what's inside..._

Cu ran through the forest lands below, leaving the blood and death behind.  
Carrying the still unconscious child up to the mountains, his final refuge.

After a long while the boy opened his eyes, only to be met with crimson eyes, to him unknown. Much to Cu's disliking the child began to cry of fear and confusion. The knight sat down, hugging his knees, resting, leaving the boy be.  
The little one struggled to bravely wipe away his tears and try to get an explanation from the man. Begin ignored for a while he grabbed and tugged on the man's cape, screaming in agony: "Where am I?! W-Where's Momma?!" T-Tell me!"

Cu couldn't even have a moment to at least try to forget the final scenes of what was now left behind, but he tried nonetheless, shielding himself with a cold façade, shunning the outer world.

The child had given up on questioning the man and calmed down after a while.  
He balled up on the snow covered ground, and began to shiver from the cold.

Cu had recollected his thoughts in peace and eventually opened his eyes. The white snow was calming in it's own way. He kid was but not dressed for such an environment. The last thing he needed was for the kid to catch a cold. He knelt next to the child and wrapped his warm cape around him. The child flinched when he felt the other's embrace and lashed out, pushing the man away.  
"No! I hate you!" he screamed.

Cu rubbed the scratch the kid had left on his chin and realized it would take more than this long for the child to calm down. The kid would but reject him and violently try to avoid any contact. Cu took a deep breath and grabbed the child's small head, fixing his eyes upon his own.  
"Listen. Momma 's dead. You can blame and hate me all you want. But I'm gonna keep you alive. 'Cuz that was her dying wish. You got that, kid? She died protecting you."

The child's eyes were full of tears and bewilderment, yet Cu wouldn't wait for the untamed emotions of the kid hit him across the face again. He pulled the kid up to his feet by his wrist, almost lifting him off the ground.  
"Stand up and walk!" he commanded. "We have to get off of this snowy plain before you freeze to death."

The child moaned in protest and pain and tears kept streaming down his face, but he let Cu drag him into whatever direction he had chosen with little to no resistance. The shock of learning the truth had exhausted him too much.

The way down went much faster and the child was keeping up nicely. Yet Cu had mixed emotions about the small town they had arrived in. There were only a few snowflakes scarcely falling in town. It was warmer yet the kid was still shivering violently Cu noticed, when he looked down at his new young companion.

Cu searched out a place to rest pushing the kid inside, when the other hesitated to take a step inside the wooden house. The inn was a standard bar with accommodations on the second floor. He had to pull the kid by his wrist again, before they would attract too much attention from the customers inside. Needless to say, it didn't smell nice. But the atmosphere in the upper floor was very calm, almost comforting.

A servant girl had bowed her head to the new arrivals and informed Cu that the bath was now open if he'd please to use it.

Cu and the kid went into their room. Cu took of his cape and most of his equipment. The child observed him quietly, somewhat intrigued. It was slowly getting dark outside.

Cu looked at the kid back in silence for a while.  
"I haven't asked your name yet." he said.

The kid made a sour face and turned away, huddling himself up in the nearest corner.  
After a while Cu could hear him sobbing quietly. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.  
"All right, Crybaby, time for a bath."

The kid sobbed for a while and finally spoke up. "I-I'm n-not a baby... My n-name..." he couldn't finish because he entered another crying fit.  
Cu knelt down next to the kid and carefully placed a hand upon his shoulder. The child twisted his body away from the touch. He was breathing in rasps for a while, then mewled: "Diar-muid."

Cu processed the information for a while. "Diarmuid." The kid silenced it's cries when he heard his name being spoken kindly.  
"I ain't gonna hurt ya... All right?"

Diarmuid peeked at Cu over his shoulder. The man's face was serious yet calm.  
"My name is Cu Chulainn. You can just call me Cu." the knight offered the kid his hand.

Diarmuid wiped his tears away and turned to Cu, still kneeling in the corner. He wasn't sure what to do with the offered hand but he mustered up the courage and took a hold of it with both of his.

He saw Cu's face soften up a bit.  
"Good." Cu said and gripped Diarmuid's small hands and slowly pulled the kid up to his feet.  
"Let's go take a bath."

Cu didn't intend to guide the kid over to the baths by his hand, but Diarmuid was holding on to him by himself, walking carefully behind Cu, his eyes dashing left and right, observing the surroundings.

After warming up, the kid relaxed a bit and the two headed back to the room.

"Well, get in bed. You must be tired." Cu gestured.

Diarmuid hesitated for a while then climbed onto the bed. Cu walked around to the other end and sat down, toweling down his back hair, then layed down.

They did have two pillows but only a small smelly blanket. It wasn't quite appealing.

Cu took his large cape and layed down, holding it up, indicating Diarmuid should get under it too.

When they were tucked in Diarmuid spoke carefully, "Can you tell me about what happened?" with an expression that was far too serious for a child his age.

"I'll tell you tomorrow" Cu said quietly, feeling extremely weary, but he did take another look at Diarmuid before deciding to sleep. The kid was making a sour face.

"Promise." Cu murmured and closed his eyes.

Diarmuid couldn't sleep. The tears just wouldn't stop.  
Cu put his arm around him. Not that he couldn't sleep, even if there were sirens going off next to him.  
It was to comfort the kid. Yet not of pity. He wasn't ready to admit that maybe he himself could use some comforting as well. He felt nothing as the kid cried himself to sleep, so he had decided.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning Cu had faintly awoken from a deep slumber, the sunrays gently kissing his face. He would close his eyes back after bringing his awareness to where he was. Yet a loud knock shook him up.  
He did not move, didn't feel like it. Another insistent knock came.  
Cu stood up and walked over to the door.  
The door opened and the maid was staring at the man with frustration.

"Sir. Your child had been following me around the whole morning. I find it utmost difficult to finish my tasks. I urge you to please tell him to stop following me!" She recited, twisting her ankles nervously.

Cu took a look back inside the room and indeed Diarmuid wasn't there. He looked back at the woman silently, his eyes prying for more information. "Where is he now?" he asked the woman.

The woman turned around, to reveal the boy, that had been hiding or clinging to her dress all morning, yet behind her was only a dark, empty hallway. She turned left and right, eyes searching for the child, confused.

"Seems your problems have vanished into thin air, Miss…" Cu remarked.

"I swear he was behind me all this time!" The maid defended herself.

But Cu wasn't looking for explanations or apologies. "If you see him, give him some breakfast." With that said, he gave a short nod before shutting the door to his room.

Cu sighed. His mind was still weary from the past events. But he has had worse. First, he was not wounded. And second, he had gotten proper rest. As usual he occupied himself with his morning habit. Checking his equipment, cleaning his weapons and counting his runes.  
A while later there was a loud knock on his door.

"Must be breakfast." he murmured to himself.  
To his disappointment, yet no surprise, it was no breakfast but the same maid with a distressed expression.

Cu had just begun to think to himself; what a troublemaker the kid was and that he maybe wouldn't care what…  
But the woman began to hysterically stutter. "S-Sir, the the child. H-He was taken by some men from the bar!"

Cu went from calm to dead serious in an instant. He turned like lightning, grabbing his runes and belt.

"Where?!" he demanded a swift answer from the woman.

She was gasping for air, since she had just ran two cases of stairs.

"O-out front. The carriage…"  
And with that Cu was already out of range, unable to hear any more unnecessary information from the distressed woman.

Diarmuid had taken a blow to the head and had just regained consciousness, feeling as he had just woken up from a long sleep. He was laying on his stomach, covered with something heavy. He turned his head enough to see he was underneath a heap of pelts. The space he was in was dark and smelly. He gathered his strength to pick himself up on his elbows, but that was as much as he could do before panic came over him when he felt tight binds restraining his wrists and ankles.  
He gasped and instinctively began to bite on the ropes around his wrist, but he couldn't chew them off.  
Looking to his left for some way out he froze and something large and dark breathed near him.  
His eyes met with large black, bloodshot eyes of a large menacing dog. He hid head between his shoulders, not daring to breathe for a while, thinking the hound would crush his skull with its strong fangs, finishing him off instantly. Yet a while passed. The beast was huffing and shifting yet had not laid a paw upon the boy.

Cu had rushed downstairs, causing an uproar between the other customers in the canteen below.  
Running outside, away from the poisonous and threatening remarks, he saw a group of men clad in red.  
It took him no more than a second to recognize them as the soldiers of Rahak Kingdom.  
The men were boasting amongst themselves, laughing sickly and crashing their jars of beer together.  
About 30 meters down the road, three carriages were loaded and ready to depart.  
Cu stepped up to the group of three men. Two of them so fat that the armor hardly fitted them.  
They started at him and began to laugh mockingly.

"What brought a scrawny boy like you to these ends?"  
"Better go home!"  
"And tell your momma to make you some clothes!"  
The men continued to laugh.

True, Cu had ran out with only his pants and belt on. But it wasn't like he needed heavy armor to take on drunken small-fry.

"Where's the boy?!" Cu shouted through the laughter.

One of the fat men gave him a look, his face going serious, yet he kept his poker face and ignored Cu's inquiry, raising his cup to his comrades.

Cu raised his fist, holding a rune in his palm. A small lightning current shot out from his fist, shattering the man's jar.

"I've asked you something! Where is the boy?!" Cu's voice was low and beyond threatening.

The men got serious and turned to the stranger. Aware of the existence of magic, they recognized it as such, yet have not experienced it first-hand before.

"Who do you think you are, boy?!" They threatened.

"Look at his insignia!" a man from the group that was previously tending to the horses spoke up. All eyes were upon Cu.  
"He must be from the Ulster Kingdom." The man pointed to Cu's large pendant hanging upon his chest.

There was silence for a few moments, before the large group broke into howls of laughter.

"Ha ha ha, look at what we have here! A deserter from the pathetic Kingdom who had lost the war! And now he's trying to act big here! Ha ha ha!"

Cu let them laugh for a while clenching his fist and counting his opponents.

"I got enough blood on my hands as it is! Just tell me where you took the boy and you might not need to meet your timely death!" Cu declared.

The men almost simultaneously drew their weapons and peered them at the blue-haired youngster.  
The first two to charge him down went down in a strike of lightning, only the metal and charred fabric remains fell to the ground. Cu opened his fist, his palm up to show the remains of the rune that had crumbled to dust in his hands.

He picked up the hot, black, smeared blade from the ground and took another rune from his pouch.  
The group of men, startled for a few moments, gritted their teeth and continued their assult.

Cu began to cut down his opponents with the sword in his left and set the fat man who was the loudest before on fire with his rune. Before the fat man disappeared in flames he pointed his hand at his underling.

While Cu was busy, fending off the group, that underling had opened the back of the carriage and slapped the hound that barked at him and grabbed the child roughly and pulled him outside, holding the kid up by his jaw, and pressed a sword to his throat.

Cu had finished off his first opponents, turning to the last three remaining. Two standing with their swords ready, and the third further behind with the boy as his hostage.

The man's ego took a leap when he saw the soldier of Ulster had stopped his assault when seeing the kid.  
The kidnapper laughed twistedly. "Stop! And drop your weapons! Or the kid ends up in pieces!"

Cu didn't budge, knowing the man's only weapon was the sword, he didn't even hold properly, and the kid. While his only defense was also a dull disgrace of a blade and a few of his runes.

The other two men lunged themselves at Cu, unable to contain their bloodlust.

"No!" The man holding Diarmuid shouted, but a second later the two were lying dead on the ground.  
Cu was standing before the last man with rage in his eyes, not moving.

The soldier cackled, pressing the sword tightly against the child's neck.

Diarmuid struggled to breathe, choking as the man was holding him up, his feet dangling above the ground. He opened one eye to look before him and saw a blurry image of a faintly known person, dyed in blue and red.

"So here's how it's gonna go!" the Rahakian soldier shouted.  
"You're gonna disarm yourself and turn around and walk!"

Cu stood up straight and dropped the blade and his pouch of runes upon the dusty ground. He turned his back to the man and raised his hands up.

The soldier grinned. "Maybe I'll cut one of your legs off first and then have some fun with you." He groaned into the child's ear.

Diarmuid mewled out a strangled cry of utmost fear, preparing his trembling soul of the worst.

Cu's mind had gone blank. He ripped the pendant off his chest, noticing a few more men were gathering outside the canteen, most likely allies of the Rahak soldiers.  
"Aenel Aligh Thum Durr" he whispered harshly, his lips nearly kissing the pendant. And with one swift turn and swing of the hand, the pendant hollowed the soldier's head upon impact.

The man's body stayed upon its feet for a moment until the nerves had lost all impulse and the boy and the soldier's body fell to the ground.

Cu kneeled down and picked up the discarded weapons, eyeing down the crowd up front. "We're leaving!" he stated firmly.

The rest of the folk, ran inside to grab their belongings and ran back out, jumped on their horses and rode off.

Cu looked after them and around to see if any enemies remained. He looked up and saw the staff of the motel staring at him from the window above with fear. He gestured to them that they should come down and bring his belongings. He saw the owner shout at the maid and she was bowing her head before running off.

Cu went to pick up the child.  
He held him in his laps. "You okay, buddy?" He asked the kid, whose eyes were bewildered beyond comprehension.

The maid brought Cu's belongings outside and threw herself upon her trembling knees, pressing her head into the ground when Cu turned his gaze towards her.

"I won't do you no harm." He said to the woman.

The woman kept her head down, not daring to look up. She extended her arms out, pushing Cu's things in front of her.  
"T-These are all-ll y-your be-belongings."  
She then began to crawl backwards upon all four.

Cu realized there would be no one else to challenge him. It was over.  
He turned his eyes back to Diarmuid.  
He cut his wrist and ankles free and shook him a bit, because the kid was still paralyzed.

"Diarmuid… Why didn't you call for me?"

The little one finally snapped out of it and all the tears that he had been holding back came streaming down his face.

"I… didn't remember your name…!" Diarmuid cried.

Cu looked at Diarmuid dubiously. "You could have called anyway."

He stood up with Diarmuid in his arms, his eyes searching the surrounding for a bit.  
"What do you think my name is? You can give me a new one. I'll answer to it without fail." He asked the kid.

Diarmuid stared at Cu, not knowing what the right answer was. "…Blue…"  
That was the only thing Diarmuid could come up with, staring at Cu's long blue locks that were close enough to caress his face.

Cu forced a smile: "It's Cu."

He lifted the kid up to his shoulder, holding his with his left while he picked up his armor.  
He took a horse and put his things in the bags of the saddle, grabbing a loaf of bread from one of the carriages; and the two rode off.

Cu realized that the two were covered in dirt and blood. In fact, he looked worse than he did when he arrived into this town. But his luck was somewhat a curse he had accepted long ago.

There was nothing else to do but to move on. And make the best of the opportunities that awaited on the road ahead.


	4. Chapter 4

First things came first. At least for Cu getting himself cleaned up was way top on the list of priorities.

The cold water of a small river was displeasant to both of them, but they bore with it bravely, washing their bodies.

"Diarmuid. Come here." Cu said quietly, yet clearly.

Diarmuid look at the man and began to stumble his way over the rocks in the shallow water.

Cu realized it would be faster to just grab Diarmuid and so he did. He pulled the kid roughly to his side.

"Be quiet." He demanded and covered Diarmuid's mouth just to be sure, kneeling down deeper into the water, behind undergrowth, whilst holding Diarmuid tightly to his chest.

Diarmuid didn't appreciate the sudden confinement but dared not to move. Only a small moan of displeasure came from his throat.

It was quiet for a while, only the water was rustling, until Diarmuid could hear the sound of horses approaching.

As the voices came very near, Cu began muttering something under his breath, his voice sounding very eerie.

Cu could see a group of three men and horses through the holes in the greenery. The had stopped to water the horses and stretch out. But not later than 15 minutes they had departed.

Cu waited just for a while longer to be sure, then stood up, releasing Diarmuid.

The boy was shivering from being completely still in the freezing cold water and Cu wasn't doing much better himself.

"This place is no good." Cu said quietly. He had plans to wash their clothing as well and he meant to do so.

He led Diarmuid over to the other bank of the river and set a small camp in the forest near the shore, instructing Diarmuid to wash their things, while he returned to the other side to bring along their horse.

How lucky for Cu, the animal was very calm and tame and followed without as much as a tug on its' harness.

Diarmuid was scrubbing the clothes with shivering hands, but he wanted to do good.

Cu joined him and observed the kid in silence for a while. Diarmuid felt the other watching his back and turned around.

Cu walked up to Diarmuid and cupped up water in his hands and poured it down Diarmuid 's back.

"Yeep" Diarmuid yelped when the coldness came down and arched his back.

Cu took a hold of Diarmuid 's shoulder and continued pouring water down his back.

"You need to wash your back properly" he said and rubbed Diarmuid 's back to remove the large dark spot on the child's back.

Cu's large hands weren't rough at all, Diarmuid was feeling almost a bit dazed, being enveloped by Cu's warm aura.

Cu was done. "Go up there and get dry." He told Diarmuid.

Before Diarmuid could tell Cu that he wasn't done with the washing yet, Cu added "I'll finish", reading through the kid's body language and simple mind.

The next day around noon they continued their journey.

The rode for 5 days, with breaks in between in smaller settlements.

Cu would ask a few people with children if they were willing to take Diarmuid. An elderly couple was the last to reject his plea. Cu sighed and lifted up Diarmuid by his armpit, sitting him up on the horse and got on himself.

After riding for a while with a stern expression, he heard a quiet voice behind him. "Nobody wants me…"

Cu didn't reply. And after a long pause the voice said "I wanna stay with You."

'Oh, and actual Want.' Cu mazed, since it was rare to hear Diarmuid say he actually wanted something.

"Haven't I explained it to you, Diarmuid? First off, I'm busy. Second, it'll be much better for you to grow up with two parents and possibly siblings. Do you not understand how important it is to have a home?"

"Where do you live?" Diarmuid asked.

"Ulster." Cu said simply.

"Then I wanna live there too."

Cu sighed, though the kid's logic was somewhat refreshing.

"I don't have a home there. And it's a cursed Kingdom, regularly in war."

"I wanna go there."

"Listen good now. You can't. When the call comes I'm going into battle and I'm not about to do the same mistake as that woman. As for the city, houses get burned and people get killed. I'm telling you don't wanna be there."

"But, why are you going there?"

"Because I have made an oath to serve the King, and this I must uphold."

Diarmuid was loosing the argument badly.

"Why?" he persisted.

Cu didn't feel like answering anymore and rode the horse quietly.

"Why, Cu? Why?" Diarmuid was pushing Cu's back, getting upset.

Cu glanced back at Diarmuid sharply. "Because I was a stupid kid and didn't know better and decided to live this kind of life!"

Diarmuid pressed his lips together, feeling pressured by Cu's harsh reply.

"Stop." He then said. "Stop! I wanna get off!"

Cu brought the horse to a gentle stop and Diarmuid instantly slid down from the horse.

"I'm going!" he said, staring at the ground. He turned around and began to walk away from the path.

Cu reasoned that Diarmuid probably wasn't going to the toilet. But he watched him for a while. Diarmuid was just walking straight on, into the fields of grass.

"Where are you going now!?" Cu called after him.

"I'm going!" Diarmuid called back, not turning back.

Cu led the horse after Diarmuid and soon caught up.

"Where are you going?" Cu asked again, riding alongside Diarmuid.

"Away."

It was clear Diarmuid was sulking.

"Away from Me?" Cu asked diplomatically.

He could see Diarmuid 's pace became unsure, as the kid realized that if he went his own way he would end up completely alone. Just imagining standing in the middle of nowhere without Cu's strong presence was enough to make his little body feel completely empty and a wind of fear gusting through. He stopped still.

"You don't want me. You don't like me." Diarmuid said bravely, yet looking at the ground still, with his fist balled up.

Cu got off his horse and put his hand of Diarmuid 's shoulder. "I said I'd take care of you. That was my promise to you, Diarmuid."

"But you wanna get rid of me!" Diarmuid protested.

"I'm trying to find you a home. Were you listening to me at all?"

He could hear Diarmuid muffle a cry before the little on knelt down and hugged his knees.

"I don't want it!" he whined.

"Listen. Once you're grown up you'll be able to make your own decisions. But until then that's my job. And you will listen to me."

Diarmuid was kneeling and sniffing, holding his tears back.

The horse suddenly got upset and jumped up and ran off down the field.

Cu looked after the animal with wide eyes. He whistled a few times, but there was no bringing the horse back now.

"Well…there he goes… Now we're really stuck together." He commented.

Diarmuid was rubbing his eyes, then stood up and turned to Cu, yet looking only up to the man's waist.

"I'll listen to you." He paused a bit so he could gather a bit more courage to speak up.  
"But only if you don't hate me and if I can stay with you."

Cu took Diarmuid 's words seriously. He couldn't really treat him as a complete child. Thought it was quite the dilemma.

He knelt down to meet Diarmuid 's eyes, but the other turned his face away.

"You have to look the person in the eyes if you're talking about making a commitment or making a promise" Cu told him.

Diarmuid did so with utmost difficulty, pain obvious in his golden eyes.

Cu opened his mouth to say something but Diarmuid extended his arms and clasped his small hands over Cu's mouth.

"I promise to listen to you." He said with all the determination he could gather.

He then removed his hands from Cu's mouth. "Now you."

Diarmuid took the words from Cu with his actions. Cu just stared for a long while.

Then put a fist upon his own chest and said: "This I give you my word. I do not hate you."

He paused, reconsidering if he really should allow Diarmuid to follow him down his not too bring path.

"You may stay by my side until you grow tired of it." He finished nonetheless.

Cu offered Diarmuid his hand. "Satisfied?"

Diarmuid's face was bitter. He grabbed Cu's hand collapsing to his knees. The pressure and the fear of what Cu's decision would be had exhausted his body with violent trembles from deep within.

He had to take a deep breath before he asked with a trembling voice. "You're not lying?"

Cu raised Diarmuid's face up and said with steady eyes. "I am not."

He then sat down upon the tall grass and pulled Diarmuid up to him, sitting him in his laps.

Diarmuid was stiff, still processing what was just said and convincing himself that what Cu said was the truth.

The sky was turning slightly orange, the sun was making its way to the horizon.

"It's warm today. I guess we can sleep here." Cu shared his thoughts.

'I don't think I can sleep' Diarmuid thought to himself, still tense.

Cu noticed a tree in the clearing to his right.

"By that tree should be good." He set Diarmuid down and walked over to the tree. He sat down, leaning his back against the trunk and rested his arms upon his knees.

Diarmuid looked at Cu settling down at the tree and approached him after a while. He was deciding whether he should take the same positing on the other side, since he was still a bit cross with Cu, laying in his lap was out of the question. But not wanting to be on the other side of the tree he decided to lay down next to Cu. Before the sun had set Diarmuid had already fallen asleep.

Cu had intended to wait until he could catch the sight of the moon, but his heavy eyes closed shut before he could.


	5. Chapter 5

Travelling went considerably slow now that they had lost their horse.  
It took them 8 days to arrive to a considerably large town.  
Diarmuid didn't need more than 10 minutes to collapse upon the soft bed and pass out.  
Cu was used to travelling more. "You did good." He murmured and pulled the covers over the sleeping child.  
The kid was quite determined about following Cu to just about the ends of the world to be able to keep up like that.

Diarmuid was still sound asleep the next morning, so Cu left him be. He urgently needed to go to town to repair his equipment and buy some supplies. He took his things, glad he had found a dark robe in the room to cover his eye-catching blue one, and went out. The town was well supplied and quite logically organized and Cu found himself actually enjoying walking around town, after a long while.  
Hours later Diarmuid woke up, needing a while to figure out where he was. The annoying feeling of nausea and angst always accompanied his mornings when walking up in an unknown place. And this particular morning it just got worse, since the blue Knight was nowhere to be found. Devastated, Diarmuid looked all over the room but not one thing remained to indicate his guardian's presence. He peeked out through the window of the room. People were walking by. All strange faces.  
He put on his shoes and carefully looked outside the room. He bravely asked the owner and the staff about Cu's whereabouts, yet no one had any information. Diarmuid had to hold on to a chair to bear the heavy weight of one thought: "He left me."  
Afraid of being snatched away by one of the people in the canteen for showing weakness, like cornered prey, he ran out to the street. Taking a left he kept running down the street.  
He finally stopped near an empty table of a merchant and was catching his breath.  
This part of town was slightly quieter. He looked back and around. Did he take a turn somewhere? Going back down the street, nothing looked familiar. Not only did he loose Cu, he got lost himself.  
Unwillingly his body began to shake and force him to cry.  
What his mind but told him was that staying still in one spot would make him an easy target so he began to quickly walk around town, as fast as his shivering legs would carry him that is. He dared only to quickly glance at the faces of people much taller than him. They didn't seem ill-willed at all but Diarmuid was fearfully anticipating for some bad person to jump out from behind a corner and grab him. Still, he walked on, looking in front of him. Then he saw a figure, wearing a cape like any other villager, crossing the street. His eyes fixed on the face, that wasn't covered by the hood and an edge of a blue cloth, visible by the neck. That profile and pale skin, it was unmistakably Cu. He sprinted off at full speed before he would lose sight of him.  
"Cuu!" the boy cried out before finally reaching the man, grabbing onto his side tightly.  
The man raised his arms in surprise. Looking down he saw wavy black hair upon a small head of the person clinging to him. "Ah, Diarmuid. Were you following me?"  
Hearing Cu's voice was indeed an upgrade of the feeling of security. Diarmuid kept holding on to Cu's clothes, burying his crying face in them. "You should have stayed in the inn. It's not that safe to wander around town." Diarmuid wasn't responding, only crying quietly.  
Cu pulled him along, beginning to walk into a side alley, and Diarmuid stumbled along.  
"I need to purchase some supplies and I can't take you with me." Cu told Diarmuid, but the boy gave no reply.  
"Do you know how to get back to the inn?"  
Diarmuid shook his head.  
They arrived to the next crossroad. Cu knelt down and pointed down the street. "You go down this road and take a left at the second alley and you'll be there."  
Diarmuid was looking in the direction where Cu was pointing but not for long. "Nuh-uh." He refused the directions and grabbed onto Cu's sleeve. Cu stood up and sighed.  
They were standing in front of a wide open gate of a large mansion. A woman in a long dress approached them and greeted. Cu returned the greeting.  
"Are you here to do business?" the woman inquired.  
"Yes." Cu replied.  
"My husband is inside."  
Cu nodded and looked at Diarmuid, slightly troubled.  
"Would you like me to look after the child while you're busy?" the woman kindly suggested.  
"Yes. If you could take this load off my hands, I'd be very grateful!"  
Cu looked at Diarmuid. "If you don't wanna go back then stay here. The nice lady is gonna look after you while I'm gone."  
"No." came a sulking reply from the boy.  
"Diarmuid. What did you promise me?"  
Diarmuid mewled in protest.  
"Diarmuid is what you're called? That is a very nice name. Nice to meet you. I am Leisca. Will you wait with me?" The woman knelt down to Diarmuid 's level and offered her hand.  
Diarmuid didn't even look at the woman.  
"Go on." Cu ripped Diarmuid off of his sleeve. "I won't be long." He bowed his head to the woman and went inside the house.  
Diarmuid stood there, staring at the ground with a sour face. The woman realized it was pointless to keep her hand out. The child wasn't going to take it.  
"Would you like to see my garden?"  
Nothing. Diarmuid didn't move. The woman slowly walked over to the house, where a path led to the gardens. "Come on." she encouraged the boy patiently and began to walk down the path.  
As the air around Diarmuid became devoid of any presence he reluctantly followed the woman. She slowed down her calm pace for the boy to catch up, but he was quite a bit behind. And when she stopped, he did too. Keeping his distance.  
"What is your favorite color?" Lady Leisca asked.  
After a long silence a weak reply came: "Yellow."  
"Alright. Let's see if we can find some yellow flowers you'd like."  
Now that Diarmuid actually looked at the woman, she seemed pretty and nice. Her dark grey hair was tied in a bun at the back of her head. And in her 50's she still looked very young. She wore a colorful robe and sandals, waiting patiently for Diarmuid. Around them there were countless flowerbeds of many different colors. As the started their way further down the path Leisca noticed that Diarmuid had locked his eyes onto a bunch of yellow flowers to his far left, so she took the path that led to them. The child's eyes then lightened up with a bit of interest, that would soon brush away the light redness.  
Diarmuid stood in front of a flower field, and stared at the ridiculously large blossoms that were bigger than his head.  
Leisca told him that those were sunflowers. They visited many fields and she would tell him a little about each plant.  
A bunch of violet petals caught Diarmuid's eye. Their scent was pleasing.  
"That is lavender. It's a very gentle flower. If you smell it, it will help you sleep." Leisca said and plucked the tip of the flower and tucked it under a strap of clothing on Diarmuid's shoulder.  
"I think we should be heading to the front gate now."  
She continued her way down the porch with Diarmuid orderly following. She sat down on the front porch and they waited. After about 10 minutes Diarmuid was beginning to become unsettled. Yet soon Cu came out from the house, thanking the owner and carrying a leather baglet slanted over his shoulder.  
Diarmuid waited until Cu came down a set of stairs before running off to his side, like a small chick.  
Cu was pleased that Diarmuid wasn't crying anymore and seemed somewhat cheered up.  
"Were you good?" he asked the boy.  
Diarmuid didn't know exactly what Cu was asking, but the woman nodded.  
The two seemed to be getting along well, and Cu had a thought about asking the lady to take Diarmuid in. But she was looking at him with a serene smile but a strong air of unapproachability so Cu dropped the thought. Besides, he didn't want to make Diarmuid cry again. "What do you expect from me, Diarmuid?" Promises are made to be broken…" Cu defended himself in an internal scene-play.  
Cu thanked the woman.  
"Come again" she chimed as the two males were leaving.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning Cu woke up early again.  
He still had some business to take care of, so he got dressed. He looked over at Diarmuid, who was still lying in bed, with his back turned to Cu. He could sense that the boy was awake, but regardlessly left without a word.

A few streets into town he spotted Diarmuid following him.  
'Just wait, you little rascal. I'll show you.' He thought, and took a sharp turn right into a busy alley and entered a pelt-shop. He flipped a coin over to the merchant to avoid any questions as to why he was hiding in his store and peeking out between the pelts. 'Now show me how smart you are, Diarmuid.'  
If the kid was wise, he'd wait where he'd lost sight of Cu. But instead, after looking left and right a few times, Diarmuid continued to wander off further into town. Cu was about to follow the boy and give him a long lesson about towns and orientation but the merchant held him up, suggesting a maintenance on Cu's robe. The fur had gotten quite rough. Being his favorite cape, Cu consented.

The store was well supplied with all sorts of furs and pelts and Cu enjoyed looking at them. His cape looked good, when the merchant handed it back to him, almost like new. Cu set his sights upon a pair of lovely arm-bracers made from soft grey chinchilla fur. They were a bit pricey, but these would look good on… Diarmuid. Cu realized he had wasted quite a bit of time and quickly payed the merchant and rushed outside. Who knows how far Diarmuid had wandered off by now.

After searching about half the town Cu began to curse himself for trying to be mean. There were better ways to teach Diarmuid a lesson. Instead he received a lesson himself. Don't leave the kid wander. He should have just brought him along. It's not like he was going to a dangerous shrine, filled with poison to get runes like yesterday. He hissed in his own anger and climbed atop of a building and called out at the top of his lungs: "Diiiaaarmuuuid! Answer me!"  
Nothing but the intermixing noises of a busy town. Cu wasn't about to waste a rune to locate Diarmuid. The only noise that stood out and rang in his ears was high-toned yelping coming from the south-west. He felt a duty to check it out. But once there he found himself in the red-light district. And the one yelping was a drunk whore being roughly grabbed by a customer. On the other hand, the district wasn't far off from where he had lost Diarmuid. And on the outside the alley looked quite friendly and colorful. Surely Diamuid would have no idea what kind of street he had walked into, but might just have.

On the other end of the district, Diarmuid was suffering just the kind of bad luck Cu had estimated him to have; which was quite equivalent to his own. Cornered by a man, who had ideas about making a child with such sweet features his new marketing object.

There were two men actually, the second a bit younger.  
"Sul, you're going to ruin him."  
"Nonsense, Rul. You know the surest way to check the quality of the goods is to try them yourself." The older man had Diarmuid backed against a cold, dirty wall, holding him down harshly. Diarmuid's cries to let him go were in vain and went completely unheard.  
"Go around and ask how much they'd give for a sweet bundle like this." Sul said to his younger brother. Rul shrugged and left. The man then continued to try out the goods, in other words, tasting Diarmuid in any way possible. Making sickly comments as he ripped down the sleeve and collar of Diarmuid's shirt and licked the boy's left shoulder. "Not as sweet, you may need a bath first. But I like this bit." He groped Diarmuid's thighs and behind, as well as his intimate areas multiple times. The man then let Diarmuid drop to the ground, curled into a shivering ball, crying weakly. The boy was exhausted from the stress, unable to run away. The man began to undo his belt and pants.  
"Diarmuid!" a quiet, muffled shout was heard from the other side of the buildings. Cu was walking down a parallel road to where Diarmuid was, calling out for the boy.  
Diarmuid thought he had heard the voice inside his mind only, but nonetheless, holding on to the last beacon of hope, gasped for a breath and shrieked as loud as he could. Sul wasn't bothered by this at all. To him that was just the last call before the boy would succumb to be his obedient slave. He was done with his robes and grabbed Diarmuid. He pressed the boy's chest against the wall, kneeling behind him, touching Diarmuid in hurtful ways he did not like.

"Get your dirty hands off the kid right now!" a strong voice bellowed down the alley.  
Cu was standing there with his shoulders tense, knees bent, gripping a long wooden pole in his left.  
Sul cackled and stood up, pulling out a long dagger from behind his back.  
"Finders keepers." He stated. Yet before he'd realized the distance between him and the man when to none in less than in instant. And the pole swished through the air, breaking out more than half of Sul's teeth. And the hit grounded the man, where relentless hits kept haggling down his ribs and back. Sul's mouth was open, blood gushing from it, and strange cries coming from his throat as he began to crawl away in panic to where he was finally out of the evil pole's reach and could get up to his feet and run away. Cu would go after him and kill him for sure but his feet stayed fixed in that one place, where he was holding his ground.  
He and the trembling boy were now alone in the dusky alley. Cu threw down his weapon and inspected Diarmuid's body. The kid was somewhat bruised but mostly in shock. Cu was quick enough to prevent any serious damage.

"Shhh. Diarmuid, I'm here. The bad man is gone." Cu attempted to pick up the kid, cramped up in a fetal position, having a bad case of hyperventilation. Diarmuid then temporarily lost control over all of his muscles in his body and fell limply into Cu's arms.  
"Thank the Gods I found you." Cu said with worry and relief.  
He hugged Diarmuid tightly to him and stood up. Diarmuid's breathing became more shallow by force. Cu was holding him so tightly that the air from his lungs got squeezed out.  
"Let me…go…" Diarmuid protested. "Put…me…down."  
Cu wasn't letting him go. He just needed a minute to calm down himself. Diarmuid was pushing himself away from Cu. "Let me…go!" He began hitting Cu with his small fists. It hurt Cu a bit but it's not like Diarmuid's hits could do any real damage.

Then a new force appeared.  
"Halt! Release the child!"


	7. Chapter 7

On the other end of the dark alley five men stood. Shoulders looking wide from the metal bracers upon them, white capes and fine clothing, three of the wearing helmets. Cu deducted that those were the local knights.  
"Halt! Release the child!"

"I'm not hurting him! It's a misun-"

"Do it now!" The man in front commanded. Cu put Diarmuid on the ground and Diarmuid sought shelter upon the nearest wall, huddling against it.  
"On your knees!"  
Not wanting a fight, he would likely not escape without injuries, Cu obeyed.  
"Hands behind your head!" With that done the group of soldiers approached Cu and pointed a pair of swords at his neck. The leader of the group, a fine looking man with bright curly hair going to his shoulders, knelt down next to Diarmuid.  
"We are the Knights of Neiyrun. You are safe now. "  
Diarmuid heard the man but stayed pressed against the wall, sobbing.  
"I'm his—" Cu started.  
"Quiet!" but earned himself a kick to the head from one of the two knights guarding him. The leader approached Cu and pulled down his hood and had to take a small step back in surprise when he saw Cu's glimmering royal blue hair and red eyes. "Who are you?!"  
"… My name's Cu Chulainn."  
The knight thought for a bit. "Your mother must not have loved you if she'd named you after a dog." He remarked as "Cu" meant "Hound" in their dialect.  
A faint image of a mother that never really raised him, played through Cu's mind.  
"Yea. I guess she didn't." He replied with a bitter smirk and looked to the side.  
The knight took a slight interest in the man that seemed much less aggressive than he had expected him to be. But he wasn't going to be fooled by a pretty face and polite lies. He turned way and questioned the child. "Child, where are your parents?" The child wasn't responding so he took a hold of his upper arm.  
"I don't know!" Diarmuid cried out and pulled away from the man's grip. The knight figured that the question might be too difficult for the distressed child so he tried a different approach. "Where is your mother?" Diarmuid just cried more in response.  
"She died." Cu said.  
"Quiet!" A rough kick to the shoulder followed.  
The leading knight registered the reply. "Is this true?" he asked DIarmuid. The man noticed the child quieted down, processing his question, then nodded.  
"Who is your guardian?" No answer. "Who is taking care of you?" he rephrased the question. Diarmuid sniffled and looked up at Cu who was looking at him seriously, yet somewhat surprised. "He is." Diarmuid mewled. "Then he is your guardian." The knight summed it up.  
'That's what I've been trying to tell you. Can I put my arms down now?' Cu thought of saying, but two kicks were enough for him to learn his lesson and keep his mouth shut.  
"Was he hurting you?" Diarmuid shook his head in a "no". The knight had dealt with victims of abuse before. Sometimes if not very often the victim would not admit to the unjustice that had been dealt upon them out of fear and respect for the perpetrator. "It's alright, you can tell me." He encouraged the boy and took the handle of the sword into his palm and titled it protectively between the child and the interesting man. "Why were you yelling? Did he touch you in ways that hurt?"  
Cu had to bite his tongue to not hiss at the Knight's questions that were annoying him.  
"He was holding me really tight and I didn't like that." Diarmuid described his experience, his voice still pitched with stress.  
The child's honest words sounded but harmless enough.  
"What is your relation to this child?" The knight turned his words to Cu.  
Cu sighed deeply and lowered his arms down to his sides, just inviting the two blades to press closer to his neck. "His mother left him in my care before dying…We're not related. And the real criminal trying to hurt 'im ran away just about two minutes before you guys showed up."  
That would explain the bruises on the child, the knight took this possibility in mind.  
Cu turned his gaze to the blood stains on the ground and the knight's gaze followed, just to see a shadow of a man stand at the beginning of the street. The shadow turned and ran away as soon as the heads turned into his direction.  
It was the younger brother Rul, returning with information.  
"Get him." The leader of the knight commanded coldly and two soldiers from the group ran after the young man. "You will now receive your verdict on the spot." The leader announced and Cu gave him the most confused of looks. The knight looked at the wide-eyed child and then at the man.  
"Not guilty." He declared.  
And the swords were sheathed and Cu was allowed to stand up. Like a magnet, Diarmuid was once again glued to Cu's side. Cu bent over and petted Diarmuid's head, not intending to touch him any more but Diarmuid had wrapped his arms around Cu's neck and would cling to him. So Cu picked him up and Diarmuid seemed contempt with that, holding on snugly.  
"I'm sorry." He whined quietly.  
"Hush. It's allright. It's over." Cu whispered back with his lips lightly pressed against Diarmuid's shoulder.  
"Where are you staying?" The knight asked.  
"At the inn on the 2nd Street."  
"Very well. We shall accompany you there." The two remaining knights turned and began to walk and Cu, carrying Diarmuid, followed. "You're not from around here. Where are you from?" The blond knight asked, walking next to Cu.  
"Ulster." "Ha, you're a long way from home."  
"I know…"  
Cu wondered if the news of his Kingdom's shameful defeat have not reached this town or if the knight was just respectful enough to say nothing.  
"Are you planning on staying here?"  
"No. Just another day, then I'll be off. I'm currently traveling back to my homeland."  
"You're taking the child along?"  
"I don't want to. I was trying to find him a foster family but he refuses to leave my side."  
"Understandable. As I understand you're his only link to his deceased mother."  
"I didn't really know her that well." Cu said with a gentle voice. "She wasn't even his real mother."  
"How do you know this?"  
'She wasn't human.' Cu would say but changed his mind. "You could tell by the looks."  
"Listen, I have a cousin. And I know she'd love to take in an orphan. I invite you to my hose so you can meet her and the family."  
Cu wasn't sure, but certainly he had just received the most honorable invitation to visit a high-ranking knight's house.  
"Only if he wants to. I'd hate to make him cry." Cu looked at Diarmuid who was quietly clinging onto him, but surely had his ears sharpened to her every single word of the conversation.  
"Sometimes a small evil must be done for the greater good." The man retorted.  
They were half way back to the inn when the two soldiers rejoined the ground. "Sir Cellohem. The man was apprehended and sent for interrogation. Indeed he was involved in some unlawful activities."  
"Well done." The leader complimented the two.  
Diarmuid asked to be put down as he wished to walk the rest of the way. He had calmed down. And to Diarmuid's surprise one of the knights that had returned took him under his wing, literally putting his armored arm around the kid's shoulder and walked next to him. Diarmuid could see the man's eyes under his helmet. They were pale blue and not scary at all. The whole group had a good vibe going on and none of the soldiers were nervous and Diarmuid could sense that. It felt nice and secure.


	8. Chapter 8

Having arrived at the inn, Cu and the Leader of the Knights stood at the open entrance, looking inside. What caught Cu's eye was a man with a blood-stained face, yelling at the waitress to bring him more drinks and that he would well pay after he'd had his fill; that and another man leaning over the table, enriching the environment with poisonous remarks. All of the guests noticed the armored presence standing at the door and turned their eyes to their respective tables and drinks, but when that loud man noticed them he turned for 180 degrees on his chair, hiding his head between his shoulders and his hood. Cu pressed his teeth together and took a step inside.

"How's your face doing, rodent?" He growled. The man continued to attempt to make himself invisible. The Leading Knight stepped up next to Cu, thus signalizing the Ulsterian to not make a move on his own.

"That's the man that tried to hurt my kid." Cu told the Knight, not moving his eyes from the scum.

"We are here to take a single man into custody, the rest of you stay seated!" The Leader, Sir Cellohem, announced. He signaled his soldiers to be on standby. Two joined his side following a mere movement of his head.

"Hooded man, I speak to thee. You will stand up and come with us to be judged for your unlawful deeds by the laws of our Lord!"

The man sat still for a few moments then swiftly stood up and flipped over his table to create a barricade between him and the knights. Three other men in the canteen stood up, siding with the criminal. The knights drew their swords. And Cu disliked being unarmed so he chanted a spell, summoning a red, Cursed Spear to his hands. Diarmuid stayed behind a soldier, standing his ground at the door.

Then what Cellohem saw, caused him to completely loose his guard. A zig-zag blue lightning swooshed through the room, accompanied by a more erratic-moving light of red. And multiple men fell to the ground, and the lightning stopped before a young woman standing in the furthest corner of the bar, to reveal the blue-haired man standing in front of the female with a red spear in his hands.

'This man is a killing beast.' The Knight thought but then saw the fallen men attempting to get upon all four in shock. 'No, but a force to be feared, indeed' Cellohem noted. If the Ulster Kingdom had a breed of soldiers like him, it was no wonder that they have been upholding their borders for this long. Cellohem nudged his head and his group approached to take the transgressors into custody. The men were begging for their lives to be spared, surely feeling like some great force of nature had grounded them mercilessly. Cu spun his spear in hand, letting it disappear. He returned to his starting point to be met with an unusual question. "Are you even human?"

Cu stared at the strangely rude remark. "What else would I be?"

It would be unthinkable to ask a warrior such as Sir Chulainn to join Neiyrunian ranks, but the child… If the child possessed the same capabilities it would improve their strength exponentially. Cellohem grinned and peered his blade at Cu. Cu furrowed his brows and shifted his footing. Had he made a mistake of trusting the Royal Guards too easily? Now the man seemed to be showing his true colors.

Cu couldn't see Diarmud from where he was standing, he assumed he'd be outside with a soldier. He but did see a staircase behind him. Sir Cellohem wasted no time but swung his sword. Cu was quick to think and defended himself with a chair, having already disarmed himself, but the wooden tool only lasted two blows. He made a run for it, up the stairs, and out the window on the first floor, rising atop of the roof.  
You just had to love simple-minded building techniques of villages where the rooftops were flat and all about the same height, making it easy to escape above ground. Cu could see the Knight run out in pursuit, but above ground, he had a feeling he was faster. About four blocks further he jumped down from the roof and was catching his excited breath. He turned his gaze and jumped when he heard heavy footsteps and the clinking of metal from around the corner, but Cellohem was already in front of him, peering his blade at Cu's throat.

"I know how people like you think." The man said with a proud grin.  
Cu was backed up against a wall but in his mind hardly limited from evading and escaping, but the Knight sheathed his sword, leaving Cu appalled.

"Did you enjoy put little game of catch?"  
Cu had to check with himself and he guessed then that he did. A little.

"You are an excellent soldier. And definitely not a force to be tamed or tied down." Cellohem spoke, Cu still looking at him with wide eyes, unsure of the man's next move. But it seemed that the game was over.

"I am sorry for your loss."

Exactly what was this man showing his condolences for, Cu wondered.

"What are you talking about?" he asked carefully.

The knight began to pace around one spot. "How long have you been travelling?"

"How is that of any relevance to you?" Cu was getting agitated.

"I was just wondering if perhaps you haven't heard…" Sir Cellohem stopped and gave Cu a serious, inquiring look.  
"About a month after the battle at the Western Plains, another army force struck at your beloved Ulster."

Cu listened to the man's words intently.  
"And the curse plaguing that city… It was…a complete loss. A slaughter if you will."  
Cu had to swallow, feeling uneasy.  
"The cities' forces were wiped out. The rest burnt. Nothing remains there. So I have heard."

Cu couldn't look the man in the eyes any more, trying to push away the bitterness that had grabbed him, knowing, that what he was just told was inevitably a possibility and almost surely the truth.

"Is there any reason or sense in you returning to a ruin of a Kingdom?"

Silence.

"My men would love to have you in the group."

So that was the man's goal in this conversation.  
"I'm still going back." Cu said through his teeth.

"Your King must be an outstanding man to earn such loyalty."

Cu was upset, putting it mildly. "I thought the same concepts of loyalty were taught all across this land. Perhaps I am mistaken." He gave the Knight a sharp glance, before turning on his heels and made his way back to the inn, to retrieve Diarmuid, had he not been taken some place else.

"My words were not meant as an insult!" Cellohem hurried after the Ulsterian.

"I am not angry with you." Cu returned.

The almost entire way back, nothing more was said. Then Cellohem spoke again.  
"Will you come to my house?"  
"For the child's sake." He added.  
Cu was about to tell him off but then saw Diarmuid. The boy was actually having fun with the group of soldiers, awaiting their Leader's return outside the inn.

"Cuu!" Diarmuid called cheerfully and waved with his arm when he saw Cu.

"Having fun?" Cu asked the little one. Diarmuid nodded, looking up at Cu.

"The men are really strong! Can I be like that too when I grow up?"

Cu was left speechless.

Cellohem spoke to the child. "Sir Chulainn might be thinking, being a soldier might be dangerous for you."

Cu disliked how the man was right. Anything would be better. Any profession. But at the moment he lacked the drive to wipe out those glorious ideas from the child's mind.

"Can't I?" Diarmuid asked innocently, looking at Cu, who's mind was in disarray, being unable to speak a work.

"You are not of royal blood, child." Cellohem told. "But if you were a part of my family that might just be possible. You may train with my soldiers if you'd like."

Cu was now praying in his mind that Diarmuid would change his mind, but that spark on the kid's face spoke otherwise.

"Go ahead." Cu gave in.

"Then let us be on our way." The Leader spoke and the group slowly stared their return, going uphill, following the stone-plated path to the royal buildings.

Diarmuid turned his head back. "Cu, you not coming?"

Cu Chulainn was just standing in front of the inn, gazing into space. "No, Diarmuid. I'm staying here."

'You'll be here when I come back, right?' Diarmuid wanted to ask, falsely imagining the Knight's offer as a one-day filed trip.

A soldier from the group patter Diarmuid's head, redirecting the kid's attention. Sir Cellohem was observing the Ulsterian for a while the joined his group. 'If he's a man, he'll come to take his farewell.' he thought to himself.

Diarmuid turned his head back to Cu a few times before disappearing around a corner and Cu served him a bitter smile.

Cu entered the inn and stood in the empty hallway, covering his mouth with his hand. Was it really alright to leave Diarmuid here? He then snapped out of his whirlpool of thoughts, took a deep breath, straightened up his back and mad his way to his room.

"Sir! Sir!" a woman called out and Cu heard pit-pats of small sandals following him down the hallway. She caught up to Cu and bowed. "Kind Sir. Please let me give you my thanks! Gods bless. Gods bless."

"Do I know you?"

"You spared my life in that fight before. Gods bless." She kept bowing.

Judging by the woman's attire she was a servant working at the inn, yet Cu could hardly recall her image.

"I never meant to take it." He replied calmly.

"Please, let me show my gratitude and allow me to spend the night with you."

Cu was looking at her healthy face and figure and wasn't saying no, so the young woman took his hand and led him to her chambers. She served him drinks and food and caressed the man's body until the other took the woman into his arms and made love to her.


	9. Chapter 9

At the fine building on top of the hill in the southern end of the village, Cellohem and his group were in the bath house, having fun with their newest addition. The soldiers were impressing Diarmuid with their skills and strength, giving the little one alcohol until he was unable to stand properly. A soldier was patting the boy's head, who was sitting on the floors of the bath, dizzy.

"Ha ha, you don't expect the boy to hold his cup like you, Rohu?" A soldier said and the group laughed.

"Let me hold him." Another soldier, called Stephol said and Diarmuid was lifted up by his armpits and passed to the man. Stephol sat Diarmuid upon his laps and hugged the boy with his ridiculously large arms.

"He is so soft." He commented joyfully and the laughing continued.

"Give him a proper bath, now." Cellohem said, entering the bath last.

"Aye!"

After the bath Diarmuid was already half asleep so the soldier Stephol, most fond of the boy, carried him to the guess room. He laid Diarmuid upon the bed and began to dress him. The door behind him opened.

"Were you messing with children again?" An upset female voice asked.

Stephol turned to face the fine woman.

"No, dear Lady. We just tested the kid as to see how much of a man he is."

"You ought to be ashamed of yourselves!" she hissed, peeking over to the bed curiously to see the child over the man's broad shoulders.

"No, dear Lady, you misunderstand. We merely gave him some alcohol."

"Still not a praise-worthy type of fun you boys like to have." The woman stayed bitter.

"Where are his parents?" She asked, assuming the boy's parents were guests at their house, where she'd hurry off to keep them busy until the child awoke.

"He has none, Kahel." From behind the woman a male voice answered.

The soldier was done dressing the child and bowed to the pair and left.

The woman stared at the familiar male figure who'd joined her side.

"Who is this child, Cellohem?"

"An unfortunate orphan, my dear cousin. A survivor of a great battle He was brought here by a veteran soldier."

"Are there foreign soldiers in town? Was there a battle nearby?" Kahel asked fearfully.

"Just one. Who knows how far he'd traveled, the man wouldn't say much." Said Cellohem, deciding to withhold any unnecessary information from his cousin, to not frighten her.

"The man asked me to take care of the child. And I promised him to do so. I was hoping you could look after him until he's ready to join my group, dear cousin."

"Oh, Cellohem. He is far too young." Kahel said symphatetically.

"Nonsense. Good soldiers are trained from an early age."  
"Oh, you. Just because our uncle made you part of the troops with the age of seven, doesn't mean all children should too."  
"What would you have me do? Train him to be out new window-washer? Or perhaps a horse dung tender?"

"Cellohem!" Kahel showed her disapproval of the cousin's words with her voice.

Diarmuid moaned lightly as he was coming to, rolling to his side. The woman walked over to the bed's side. The child was groaning uncomfortably.  
"You poor thing." She helped him sit up. "Are you feeling sick?"  
Diarmuid rubbed him eyes and looked around the unknown room and the lady looking at him. He was still a bit disoriented.  
Kahel stared into the child's eyes dyed a deep yellow-honey color. The most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. She stood up and walked away from the bed, keeping her eyes upon the confused child. "What is his name?" she asked quietly.  
"If I remember correctly, it was Diarmuid." Cellohem said.

The next day Diarmuid was done with the tour of the grounds and was ready to go back to town to meet Cu. So he began asking for him. But Sir Cellohem wasn't around and no one would take him to town. He sat on the stone fence, unsettled, watching the groups do their morning training.

Then a group of soldiers came by, calling out to Diarmuid by his name and waving.

Diarmuid recognized them and scurried over to them.  
"Where is Cu?"

"Who? Oh, the man that you were with. If I recall correctly he was said to be leaving for his home town." The soldier Rohu, Sir Cellohem's right hand spoke.  
"But he's waiting for me in town!"

Cellohem came following the group shortly, about to ask what the hold-up was, when he saw the little boy.  
"Don't be holding my soldiers back during their rounds." He waved his hand and the group advanced.  
"You may follow them if you can keep up."  
"I have to go to town to see Cu." Diarmuid urged the Knight.

"Boy, I believe that man has already left town. This in your new home." The man extended his arms out, boastfully.  
Diarmuid's body froze for a while, then he shook his head and ran to the fence, leaning over to see where he was and where the path back to town led. He couldn't see the the town below from where he was, but he took the nearest road leading downhill, running, running.  
Luckily he found the right path to the inn where they were staying, storming inside to the door to their room. "Cu! Cu!" he called in panic, tugging on the door that was locked.  
"Child! Do no yell in the hallway!" A member of the staff reproached. "That room is empty. You must be—" and Diarmuid didn't hear the rest but was already running outside, calling for Cu.

A few unknown faces turned to look at the shouting boy, but no one stopped. Diarmuid fall down upon his behind next to the inn's wall and howled and cried like no end.

Passing the guards with little to no problems Cu was allowed to pass to the Knight's grounds in search of a Royal Knight that was patrolling town the day before. Cu's not-knowing the man's name was quickly corrected, and he obtained the presence of Sir Cellohem.

"You're looking for the boy? He ran into town, searching for you, thinking you have left. Well, so we'd all thought." Cellohem answered Cu's question with little interest.  
"I've sent someone to search for him," he nudged his head and his right hand, Rohu, left. Only doing as he'd told this Chulainn man just now, he felt no need to cover his actions or lack of concern. Cu was invited inside and was introduced to Cellohem's cousin, Lady Kahel.

Not long after a Neiyrunian soldier was seen riding up the hill on a horse, with little Diarmuid riding with him The child's face was sour and swollen. He had probably received a disciplinary smack from the soldier, but to others the boy's face could just be red from crying.

Rohu then half-dragged the kid upstairs and pushed him before Cellohem.  
"Diarmuid. You are not to run away like that. If this is to happen again I will send no one to search for you. And you will be left on your own." The child was averting his eyes.  
"Understood?!"

"Yes." Diarmuid mewled.  
"Good." Cellohem said, turned and left down the hall.

Diarmuid raised his eyes to look at the Knight leaving when he noticed a pair that stood further down the hall, looking at him. One was that woman from yesterday and the other was… "Cu!" Diarmuid ran over to Cu and grabbed onto the man's legs.  
"Cu!" Diarmuid was howling.

"You should really listen to what the man tells you, Diarmuid." Cu said calmly to the sobbing boy.  
"Stupid, Cu! You said you wouldn't leave me!"  
"I didn't." Cu said with a voice much weaker and transparent than usual. He knelt down and hugged the child, who held onto him like he hadn't seen him for half of an eternity.  
"Stupid Cu…" Diarmuid cried.  
Cu held Diarmuid for a while. "Stupid Diarmuid. I need you to stop crying now." He wiped Diarmuid's face with the bases of his palms. Diarmuid was still sniffling.  
"Listen to me good now." Cu said seriously. Diarmuid tried to swallow down his tears and nodded. Cu took a few breaths then spoke. "I'm leaving now; going back to Ulster. And I need you to stay here, where Sir Cellohem and Lady Kanul" he turned to the woman- "Kahel." She corrected him. "-Lady Kahel will take care of you." Cu finished and by his words earned himself a smack across the face from the little one. "No!" screamed Diarmuid. "No!"

Cu stood up "Are you sure he won't be too much trouble?" he asked the woman and she just shook her head, surprised that the foreign man didn't strike the child back, where her cousin surely would.

"Diarmuid, I came today to say Goodbye."

"You can't do that!" Diarmuid screamed back.

Cu handed a pair of fur bracers to the woman, telling her they were for Diarmuid, then thanked her.

"Take care, Diarmuid. Farewell." He said his goodbye to the little one and turned and walked off towards the exit.

"Cu! No!" Diarmuid called out and grabbed the man's cape and tugged on it as hard as he could to stop him.

Cu turned and grabbed Diarmuid's wrists harshly, making the kid release his cape, then held the tiny wrists to the boy's chest.  
"Diarmuid. Don't follow me." His strong voice vibrated throughout Diarmuid's small body.  
Cu released the boy's wrists and continued on his way.

He was already out the door when he heard Diarmuid's distant screams.  
"Cu! Don't leave me!" Diarmuid cried, his knees shaking too much to be able to run after Cu again. And the woman's efforts to try to calm him down were useless.

"I hate you, stupid Cu!"

Cu could only faintly hear those last words, but he did. And knew that he's to blame. Diarmuid didn't hate him, on the contrary. The boy must have felt terribly betrayed.  
It wasn't easy to walk away. He'd grown fond of the little one, but he had a duty in his mind that he had to fulfill and that was what kept his legs moving.


End file.
